Aircraft engine water misting inter-cooler
AssigneeThe Boeing Company
InventorDavid L. Daggett
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A turbojet engine and a method for its operation which reduces NOx emissions, improves engine thermal efficiency, increases thrust and helps prevent engine performance deterioration. The turbojet engine includes two series of water injection nozzles which inject an atomized water stream into the compressor of the turbojet engine prior to the low pressure portion of the compressor and the high pressure portion of the compressor. The water injection nozzles that provide the atomized water stream to the low pressure portion of the compressor may be selectively disabled to inhibit water from being fed into the low pressure portion of the compressor based upon various criteria, such as the current atmospheric conditions.
Claims11
A method for reducing NOx emissions, increasing the thrust, and improving engine thermal efficiency from a turbojet engine, the turbojet engine having a high pressure compressor axially spaced between a low pressure compressor and a turbine, the method comprising the steps of:
- providing a first series of water injection nozzles prior to the low pressure compressor;
- providing a second series of water injection nozzles between the low pressure compressor and the high pressure compressor;
- operating the turbojet engine to produce thrust;
- selectively operating the first series of water injection nozzles to input a first mist stream into the low pressure compressor;
- and
- operating the second series of water injection nozzles to input a second mist stream into the high pressure compressor;
- wherein each of the first and second mist streams is comprised of atomized water.
A method for reducing NOx emissions and increasing the thrust from a turbojet engine, the turbojet engine including a low pressure compressor, a high pressure compressor and a combustor, the high pressure compressor being axially spaced between the low pressure compressor and the combustor, the methodology comprising the steps of:
- determining whether an atmospheric condition in which the turbojet engine is operating facilitates freezing of water mist;
- if the atmospheric condition facilitates freezing of water mist, injecting an atomized water stream only into an airflow entering the high pressure compressor;
- and
- otherwise, injecting the atomized water stream into an airflow entering the low pressure compressor and the airflow entering the high pressure compressor.
A turbojet engine comprising:
- an air intake;
- a compressor coupled to the air intake and receiving an inlet flow of air therefrom, the compressor including a low pressure portion and a high pressure portion, the low pressure portion compressing the inlet flow, the high pressure portion receiving and further compressing the airflow from the low pressure portion;
- a first series of water injection nozzles coupled to one of the air intake and the compressor, the first series of water injection nozzles being configured to inject a first stream of atomized water into the airflow entering the low pressure portion of the compressor;
- and
- a second series of water injection nozzles coupled to the compressor, the second series of water injection nozzles being configured to inject a second stream of atomized water into the airflow entering the high pressure portion of the compressor.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.